Wandering Innocence
by KeyLime422
Summary: The Cullens have a new addition to their coven. Who is she? What's her story? How will her presence affect the lives of the not-so-ordinary people of Fork?
1. Chapter 1

**AN! (11/28/10) To anybody who is reading/following this story:**

**1) Firstly, I only recently realized that I have not updated _WI_ in roughly a year. My explanation? I ran out of inspiration for it. I started a few other stories (that I have neglected as well) and forgot the direction and plot of this one. **

**2) Upon reviewing the existing chapters, I decided that I needed to do some, for lack of a better word, renovations. So, I apologize for any confusion, but I am replacing each of these chapters so I can add more details to them and generally tidy them up. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF THE "TWILIGHT" SERIES/FRANCHISE/ETC, ONLY JASMINE'S CHARACTER. **

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_I got over it. That was my personal mantra. That was what I told myself so many times. That was what I said to keep myself going. I bargained with myself: one more day, one more hour, one more minute… I wouldn't let myself admit it. I was lying._

**(A/N: set right after Bella, Alice, and Edward return from Volterra/End of New Moon)**

**Bella's POV**

The air whistled through my ears in the split-second that we jumped from my bedroom window. I was used to it and no longer had to shut my eyes. My gaze focused on Edward's perfect face and the liquid pools of gold that were his eyes. They were touched by the crooked grin that made my head whirl. I was dimly aware of the path we were taking; racing through the trees towards the Cullen house. I'd learned that the motion-sickness could be countered if I concentrated on Edward, not my blurring surroundings.

Due to Charlie's plausible, yet annoying, new curfew and visiting hours rules, we had to sneak from my house during the riddle of the night to reach his 'surprise'. I was wary about this surprise, but he seemed eager and after a few memory-tampering kisses, I agreed. I'd never liked surprises; growing up with Renee had taught me to be suspicious instead of excited.

The white house by the river came into view. Edward wouldn't set me down until we'd cross into the den.

"Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Jasmine," he called out, "I've brought Bella." Five vampires appeared in front of us. Wait, five? Esme and Carlisle greeted me warmly and Alice was her usual enthusiastic self. Jasper hovered behind her, giving me a smile, but keeping his distance. I tried not to remember the events of my 18th birthday. I held no grudges but I had a feeling Jasper wouldn't be forgetting the event any time soon. I stared at the 5th vampire puzzled. She was clearly Asian, even with the pale complexion; she was almost as thin as Alice and around my height. Her almond eyes confused me even more; they were a pale, yet brilliant blue. Huh? She smiled shyly, showing some of her dazzling, straight teeth.

"Bella," Edward turned towards me, "this is Jasmine Song, the newest addition to our family." The girl offered her hand hesitantly, and I took it, feeling the expected cool hardness.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." She said softly. Her English was soft and hesitant.

"You too," I mumbled, finally able to tear my eyes away from hers.

"We found Jasmine during one of Carlisle's excursions to Asia," Edward started to explaine.

"There weren't any other 'vegetarian' vampires in my area, so when Carlisle invited me to come back to Forks, I agreed." Jasmine finished.

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"So what do you think of Jasmine?' Edward asked as he rushed me back to Charlie after an hour. I deliberated for a brief moment before I answered.

"She seems very nice." I told him. It was true. She seemed a little quiet and distant, especially next to Alice. She was very sweet when she did speak, but also incredibly sad. I could see the sorrow in her expression whenever she met my eyes with hers. Now those did puzzle me. I couldn't decide what the significance of the shade was. Regardless, she appeared to be at ease when she was around me, more so than Jasper was, at least. I decided to ask Edward.

"Edward?" I mumbled with sleep clouding me voice. He set me down on my bed and covered me with a blanket before taking his usual spot next to me.

"Yes, love?"

"Jasmine's eyes…" I didn't think I would have to continue.

"Yes, I thought you would notice those," he murmured, stroking his cool hand across my forehead.

"Why are they blue?" I tried to keep my eyelids awake and focused on his angelic face.

"Well, Carlisle has his theories…" He started. I stayed quiet, mentally urging him to continue, even if he wouldn't hear it. "He thinks it is because, in the 10 years that Jasmine has had in this life, she's never once harmed a human soul. So, her eyes are still pure of any human blood or harm. Blue's supposedly the color of innocence." He added.

"But Carlisle never drank human blood," I countered.

"However, he did end our human life, thus technically "killing" us, even if he only really quickened the pace by a few hours. I'm pretty positive that death counts as harm to a soul." He corrected my argument gently.

"So animals aren't counted towards the soul-harming thing?" I asked.

"No, and she doesn't even need to hunt as often as us. Emmett likes to bug her about it. You should ask her about it sometime." He said.

"Ok," I mumbled. I let the conversation drop. I was too tired.

"Sleep now, my love," he whispered. I drifted into sleep with the notes of my lullaby floating through my ears.

I was a little surprised to see Jasmine sitting at the Cullens' table the next day at school. Her cover story was that she was a foster child that the Cullens had temporarily adopted until she'd turned eighteen. The Cullens wanted her to stay with them permanently but she didn't want to intrude for that long of a long time. Esme was working on convincing her otherwise, but, currently, it was to no avail.

She sat with a small salad on her plate, staring off into space. I'd never known a vampire who'd daydreamed, but I supposed it was plausible. Her face was a delicate mask of sadness. Every so often she would pick at the lettuce with her fork. Edward was frowning at her slightly, and I wondered what she was thinking about.

"So," I started as Edward walked me towards Biology. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for the rest of the question.

"Is something the matter with Jasmine?" I finished. He sighed.

"I'm not sure. Korean is her first language, and she prefers to think in it. I haven't learned Korean yet, as a courtesy towards her, so I'm never completely positive on her thoughts unless a word or two of English slips through."

"She seemed pretty upset about whatever she was thinking about." I observed. He frowned.

"She's driving Jasper insane. She has a strong depressed aura about her, although she tries her best to cover it up. We all know it's there, but we don't dare say anything about it. I think she'll break if she tries any harder. It's lke she's always working for our approval. Her thoughts haven't shown such a motive, but I can't be completely sure. She means no harm to us, that much I can tell, but there's parts of her history that she just won't disclose."

"What's causing her so much pain?" I asked, sympathetic.

"The one who changed her hurt her in more ways than one. They were together, similar to our relationship, but," Edward paused and looked down at me before continuing, "He lost his control for an instant. She never saw him after that. She's still wishing, but her hope is dim. She thinks she isn't good enough, for anything. That's part of the reason she wants to leave soon. She doesn't want to get attached to anybody. She thinks it will only hurt her. I've seen flashes in her mind, but she tries not to dwell on those around me," he sounded sad.

I thought over her plight and felt for her. I had a feeling I knew what she was going through, but I wasn't about to tell Edward that.

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"Oh!" Alice gasped as Edward and I approached the shiny, silver Volvo that I've come to love. She turned her head towards the window of the car and said:

"You, out of the car."

The door opened and Jasmine dutifully unfolded herself from the back seat. She was so willowy and graceful! Her poise challenged that of Alice.

"May I ask why I'm being kicked out?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"You're going over to Bella's house today!" Alice squealed. Then she frowned for an instant. "That means that we're going to have to go shopping another time…Wait, no, you're not going to Bella's…hmmm." Alice trailed off, lost in the near future.

Did she always have to think out loud? It gave me a headache sometimes when I tried to follow her always-changing train of thought. But one phrase did stand out to me. Did this mean that Alice was using Jasmine as her new Barbie? I could only hope so.

"Well, what is it, Alice?" Jasmine seemed a little bemused and unsure, like she was afraid of offending someone.

"I definitely see you at Bella's house, but then it disappears…oh those mutts!" She finished her sentence in a hiss. I mentally froze, hoping, even as Edward's arms tightened on my waist, that I would be able to see Jacob again.

"Ok, here's what's going to happen." Alice still seemed annoyed, even though she had a clearer picture of the future. "You," she pointed at Jasmine, "are going to Bella's house and the dogs are going to show up and talk. It goes so blurry, but I think it's about the treaty. Bella, you are coming with Edward and me to Port Angeles." She finished.

"What?" I opened my mouth to protest, but before I know it, I'm already in the passenger seat of the stupid silver Volvo (yes I have mixed feelings about the car) and Edward had the key in the ignition. Suddenly a pale slender hand grabbed the key and I looked up to see Jasmine twirling the ring around her finger.

"Alice," she said leaning her head closer to the window, "please. I'm still confused. What's going on?"

"The wolves are going to Bella's house. I assume they don't want to come near our house, but they are smart enough to know about my ability, thanks to Bella, and figured that I could pass on the message to you. They need to clear up the blurry lines of the treaty, most likely. They'll want to see if you'll follow the same standards as the rest of us." Alice piped from the backseat. I knew she hated it when she couldn't get a clear reading on the future.

"And you couldn't have told me that before speeding away because…"

"Edward," Alice said simply.

I bit my lip to hide my smile.

"Hmm," Jasmine was biting her lip as well, thinking. "Where's the harm of having Bella around though?" A moment passed in silence and I had a feeling that Jasmine was formulating a plan inside her head.

"I will not have Bella in danger." Edward growled. Jasmine rolled her eyes.

"I don't think it will be dangerous, Edward," she said seriously.

"I'm not taking any chances. They're too rash, unpredictable."

"There's no threat. If we keep her safely out of range in case they explode, there's no problem. Besides, if it's just about the treaty, it will be short and simple. The most I'll say is 'yes', 'no', and 'bye'. Plus I'm even quicker than you by a good couple miles, Edward," Jasmine tried to reason with him.

I was glad that Edward couldn't read my thoughts; I was silently rooting for Jasmine. I was seriously beginning to like this girl. What I wouldn't do to see Jacob again!

Two more minutes passed as the 3 vampires hissed quickly at each other. I had a feeling that that Jasmine was still trying to persuade Edward to let me go with her.

"Fine!" Edward seemed fairly exasperated. "But if she has a single _scratch_ on her, I will hold you personally responsible. If _anything_ goes wrong, you will regret it."

I shivered, listening to his threat. They quickly filled me in on the plan: I would drive Jasmine to my house where we would supposedly meet some of the wolves. I was to stay on the porch, and they would talk on the grass. I pouted like a child, but it was better than nothing. I would find a way to convince Jasmine to let me talk to Jake.

We watched Alice and Edward jet off in the Volvo and I turned to find my truck, only to realize that Edward had driven me to school. I turned back to Jasmine to explain that we would be walking, but she smiled at me, anticipating my thoughts. She told me that we could take her car and led the way. I climbed into her midnight-blue Camry, feeling the warmth of the heating soak my frozen bones. It was a pleasant ride; Jasmine and I spoke about the day and she even drove at a reasonable speed. I could see why she and Angela had gotten along well in gym class, because their demeanors were similar.

After a few minutes of talking about trivial things, I worked up the courage to ask her about something that was on the back of my mind since last night. She smiled again when I asked her about hunting. I quickly added that I didn't want to offend her.

"Don't worry, you won't offend me. I simply have a horribly big conscience. I've even managed to cry a few times on my hunts. That's why Emmett loves to tease me."

"You can cry?"

"Yes. Carlisle has another theory." Ah, Carlisle and his theories, "You know how we bring one of our human traits into this life?"

I nodded.

"Well he thinks that I brought my humanity. It's not the false sense that the rest of them have; it's real. I'm not quite as cold as the Cullens, and I can cry if I'm truly upset. I only hunt about once every month or every other. Emmett teases me about my hunting schedule and principles; he says if I ever actually killed a human, then I'd find a way to bring them back to life and apologize. I'm sort of adverse towards the whole blood-thirsty hunting thing." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I have a feeling that was a part of the reason why Carlisle wanted to bring me to Forks. Edward says that I 'fascinate' him. I guess I can trust his word." She gave her light laugh again.

We pulled into my driveway. Jasmine froze for a second, and then sniffed delicately. I have a feeling that the wolves are on their way. I've never actually smelt them before, but I think this scent was theirs."

"Alice always said that it was an awful smell. Is that true?" I asked, remembering Alice's nose wrinkling when she first came back.

"Hmm, it's not that bad. It's not a sweet as human blood. It smells kind of like the forest after a rain, but before all the earthworms come out; not an edible scent." She described. "They'll be here soon, and I gave Edward my word. I can't break it, Bella." She added as I opened my mouth to protest.

"Please Bella, just stay on the porch. Edward can hear my thoughts remember? He'll turn me into a jigsaw puzzle." She pleaded. We got out of the car and went to stand on the porch. I was still arguing with her when I saw a blue pick-up truck coming down the street. I think that it was Embry's. Jasmine gave me another pleading look and I sighed. She flashed me a smile of thanks before a trio of half-naked men came striding across the lawn.

"Are you the new Cullen?" Sam asked, his face emotionless.

"Yes, sir," Jasmine responded.

"Are you informed about the regulations of the treaty?"

"I am," She sounded perfectly serious, her voice neither mocking or cynical. I'd never heard one of the Cullens ever even refer to the wolves with respect.

"And you have agreed to follow them as long as your duration in Forks lasts?"

"Of course," she said.

"You know of the consequences if the treaty is broken?"

"Yes, I do."

Sam offered his hand to shake and close the deal. Jasmine took it lightly and they sealed the deal.

"Alright, Embry, Jared, let's go." He said to the two on either side of him after they shook. Jared nodded at Jasmine and Embry, who had been looking at the ground, glanced up. His eyes widened and he let out a small gasp while he stared at her. She stared back uncertainly, her blue eyes widening, surprised at his actions. He tore his eyes away as Sam put his hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to hurry up. Looking over his shoulder one last time, he jogged to catch up to the others and jumped into his truck, speeding away down the street. There went my last shred of hope.

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**REVIEW, PLEASE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN 11/28/10: I'm still editing and re-uploading. I apologize for any superfluous alerts anybody is getting. **

**DISCLAIMER: I STILL DON'T (AND NEVER WILL) OWN TWILIGHT CHARACTERS OR PLOTLINES (THOSE ARE STEPHENIE MEYER'S). JUST JASMINE**

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**BPOV**

She was next to me on the porch in the next instant. Without even needing an explanation, she understood my feelings. I was upset. Disappointment coursed through my veins. Jacob hadn't even wanted to come near my house. Was his hatred towards me truly that strong? A hand was delicately rubbing my shoulder, and I found more comfort in that one little gesture than I'd ever thought possible. She stared at the weathered, peeling paint and let out a hum of sympathy.

"You were expecting your friend to be with him weren't you?" she asked quietly.

I nodded, wondering how she knew this.

"Edward and Carlisle told me the story, I hope it was alright. I didn't mean to pry." She continued. I nodded again, feeling stupid for my lack of words. She must've thought I was an imbecile by now.

"It's fine," I said, trying to convince the both of us, "I brought all of this on myself. There's nothing you need to feel bad for." I said. She leveled me with another kind stare.

"No, it's not. I can see that you are upset about it. I'm not going to ask for details, but I would like to say that I know how it feels, wanting for someone to come, but they don't." Her accent, like everything else about her, was soft and barely noticeable. I suddenly felt very empathetic; she must've been talking about the one who changed her.

"Besides," she started, more casually, "I know I'd be disappointed if there wasn't a cute, shirtless guy coming to see me." She was trying to cheer me up and it kind of worked; I smiled at her joke.

"You think the wolves are cute?" I blurted out, surprised.

An extremely light bit of pink appeared on her face. I wouldn't have even noticed it if I wasn't so used to the one and only vampire complexion: chalky pallor.

"I suppose so, by human standards, at least. I mean, I haven't known them long enough to form bias or grudges. They are the protectors of this land, and I will not harbor prejudices against them for that." I glanced at her face, and her eyes were clear of sarcasm, but they did seem a little distracted.

"Is that why you called Sam 'sir'? I've never heard anybody else refer to them like that?" I didn't want to say that the rest of the Cullens preferred to address them as mutts or dogs.

"Partially. I was raised to respect my equals and my betters, even if I'm not exactly sure where the wolves fall. They aren't my elders, since I'm technically 27, but regardless, they still have a heartbeat and do not thirst for blood, so I consider them my equals at the least. Besides, everybody deserves some kind of basic respect" I could tell that I was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable and let the conversation drop. I had a feeling I was pushing her past her usual word amount comfort zone.

"We're supposed to head over to the Cullen place now. That was the other part of the deal. Edward wanted visible proof after the interlude." She explained. I bobbed my head once more. We went inside where I wrote a note to Charlie about where I was going:

_Dad,_

_Hanging out with some of the Cullens-be back by 8, there's leftovers in the fridge._

_Love,_

_Bella_

We hopped in the car and made our way down the path to the Cullen place, pretty much in silence. Jasmine seemed thoughtful and her alabaster brow was slightly wrinkled as she stared out at the drizzling rain. I didn't want to ask, I was too busy contemplating Jacob and wondering how he was doing.

Edward volunteered to drive me home after it had gotten dark. I stretched and glanced at the time, it was 7:23. I didn't really want to go home yet, I'd finished all of my work (thanks to a certain vampire with several college degrees and a collage of high school graduation caps) and home wasn't nearly as exciting as the Cullen house. True, Edward was just going to sneak back through my window as soon as Charlie was asleep, but still...

He quickly stacked my books and tossed them into my backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. Esme and Alice streaked over to say goodnight and Emmett and Jasper waved from the couch. Carlisle was still at the hospital. We walked out across the lawn towards the garage. I almost tripped over the figure on the ground. Edward chuckled as he grabbed me and Jasmine was up and leaning against the car by the time I'd recovered my equilibrium, her book in hand.

"Oh! I didn't notice you guys, I'm sorry," she said, seeming self-concious. I remembered what Edward said about her humanity. Although beautiful and elegant, almost enough to rival Rosalie, she still was taken by surprise. It was nice to meet a vampire who wasn't always 20 steps ahead of me.

"I was wondering where my Debussy CD had gone." Edward replied

"I'm sorry, I asked Alice and she said that you wouldn't mind if I borrowed it for a day or so, but I should've asked first..." She seemed embarrassed. Edward cut through her apology, assuring her that it was fine and she didn't need to worry.

"She enjoys listening to classical music in her spare time," Edward said casually as we drove home. "Either that or helping Esme with interior decorating. She's into the arts. That's partially why Esme will be sad to see her go whenever she does."

"She seemed a little happier tonight," I offered. I couldn't tell what she was reading, but her face was absorbed in the story and she had been smiling and nodding her head in time with the music.

"She's a little happier when she's doing things like that. Her dancing is amazing as well, although she can be a little frustrated with it at times. She doesn't like the lack of challenge; apparently everything comes too naturally in this life. It's funny how she's irritated at that."

"I have to say, it's giving me an awful complex always being near your family. I bet you're right; her dancing is probably magical, too," I grumbled half-heartedly.

"Interesting choice of words, my love," Edward said, turning towards me, his golden eyes still twinkling. I was momentarily dazzled.

"...um, how so?" I asked curiously after I remembered how to speak proper English.

"Well, there was more to Jasmine's human life-" He stopped suddenly and I drew my eyebrows together quizzically.

"I suppose I shouldn't have said that," He said slowly, measuring his words.

"Why not?"

"Well, Jasmine never technically told me that, I heard it through Rosalie's thoughts one night, she was thinking about a conversation they'd had, but I'm not sure if Rosalie wanted me to know,"

"But Edward, you can't just tell me half of something, then a bit more, and then stop. I promise not to say anything..." I trailed off, giving him a bit of a puppy-dog face. He smiled.

"Alright...you see, she was a witch in her past life."

**JasminePOV**:

Bella came over again. I heard her and Edward coming up the driveway, just as I finished pulling into one of the garages. I hoped that Alice would forget her "get-Jasmine-a-new-car scheme and let my Camry go. I loved the little pixie, but I couldn't believe how much she'd showered me with gifts.

When I first got off the plane, she'd taken one look at my luggage: one backpack, two suitcases, and one large duffel bag, and sighed. I heard her mutter something like, "Just like Bella." I quickly learned why; apparently Bella didn't care much for fashion either. Alice had quickly introduced me to it and taken me on several trips to Port Angeles and Seattle.

It was all so lavish, and I'd tried to tell Alice that I couldn't pay for all of it, but she paid for all of it with a flash of a platinum card. It was fun, after I stopped worrying so much about being around the humans. I've only been a vampire for 10 years, and my self-control was good, but I didn't like risking it. Risks and I never really got along. But Alice would always check for me before we entered, and I finally trusted myself enough to stay a little calmer. Then again, Alice did have Jasper drive us a few times.

I still marveled at their gold (or black-depending on the week) eyes. It was very strange-this lifestyle. I'd abstained from human blood as well, but still lived further away from any of the towns I stayed in. I didn't want to take any chances.

All of the other vamps I'd ever meet all sported red or burgundy irises, but not Carlisle or his coven. There was something less intimidating about staring into ocher eyes than red ones. It made him seem more approachable, which I guessed was a good thing since he was a doctor. That was another thing I managed to marvel at. I admired his self-control-it seemed impossible for a vampire to be able to perform surgeries and operations without losing it.

I looked up and smiled at Bella, giving her a brief greeting before zooming inside. I had to give Edward his props as well, although I did that while he wasn't in hearing range. Bella smelled so sweet, and I couldn't believe how much he loved her; or how big of a masochist he was. No, they were truly meant to be together. I agreed with Esme; they would find a way to work things out.

I finally finished Wuthering Height. It was Bella's somewhat dilapidated copy that she'd loaned me. It was pretty good, if somewhat strange. I guess you just had to get an appreciation for the classics. Something told me that I'd have plenty of time to do that someday.

I sighed and stretched, realizing that my body had not gotten stiff or sore from sitting still, but I had to do it, just for memory's sake. It was only 7:00 and I wondered what I was going to do. I snuck up to my room, turning on the stereo and listening absent-mindedly to the commercials and songs.

While listening to a commercial for the local attractions of Forks (which there weren't many of) I decided on something to do. I zoomed through my closet quickly and found a simple outfit: jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a fleece pull-over. I didn't need to worry about warmth. I could've left in the knit dress I'd been wearing earlier, but I did have to maintian the simple role I was playing in this little town.

"Where are you heading off to?" Emmett glanced up from the television as I passed.

"Just out," I replied casually, hoping that he would drop it. That wasn't going to happen.

"No, really? I would've never guessed, given that your car keys are in your pocket and your hand on the doorknob. Where to?" He smirked and I felt like slapping him. Too bad all my newborn strength was gone.

"I don't know. Maybe for a drive…" Couldn't he just give it a rest?

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Edward called from the sofa, where he lay with Bella.

"What do you mean? Is there anything here that you want me to do?" I said innocently. Internally, I cursed myself in Korean. I guessed he'd seen the picture of the ice rink in my head. Dang. I guess he'd heard that, because he grinned for a moment, before his face turned more serious.

"The skating idea. When's the last time you went hunting?" He asked. Emmett raised his eyebrows as I turned towards the mirror on the wall. I touched my hand to my cheek and stared at my irises. They were a deep navy, only a few days away from black. I frowned, still not liking the change. Why couldn't my eyes have stayed the regular blue?

"Um…" I quickly backtracked in my head, "probably about a month ago?" He shook his head.

"I wouldn't risk it if I were you," he advised.

"I'll be fine," I said, annoyed with his worry. I truly wasn't feeling too thirsty. I could go about 2 months in between hunts before, although it was extremely uncomfortable. It was usually stretching it, though. I hadn't slipped up yet.

"Alice?" I turned to her, and her eyes went glassy for a moment.

"I think you'll be alright…I can't see anybody getting hurt, but I can't be sure. Humans can be so clumsy sometimes…" she grinned at Bella. "Just don't stay too long and I think everything will go alright."

I nodded, thanking her in my head and whirled out the door. The man at the skate rental stand oogled me for a moment, but other than that, nobody really noticed me.

The music thrummed from the speakers and I methodically skating around, following the curve, occasionally doing a jump or swirl, but nothing too fancy. I couldn't feel the cold any longer, but at least I could imagine it. I didn't mind human speed, in fact, the slippery surface underneath me felt nice as I glided slowly (well, my terms of slowly, normal for a human).

_Ha_ I thought, knowing that Edward couldn't hear me. I was fine. All I focused on was the clean scent of the ice, and the strange smell of the popcorn and hot chocolate. I couldn't remember the last time that I'd craved human food. I sat down on one of the benched, by the rink and unlaced my skates. I slipped on my boots and made my way over to the door. Suddenly, the same woodsy, musky scent from yesterday hit me. Werewolves.

Crap.

I could just see Edward's face: _I told you so._

"We want to know what you did." Sam walked up to, cutting right to the chase. I stared at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

He was flanked by two other (I assume) wolves, in their human forms. The one was slightly shorter, but very broad, and the other had a shaggy haircut, sticking out every which way. Quil and Jacob perhaps? Edward had told me the names of some of the wolf crew and Bella had provided quick descriptions.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my eyebrows drawing together and crossing my arms. I was aware of a few passerby watching our exchange. We were still standing by the door of the ice rink that led to the main lobby/skate rental/food area. I ignored the stairs, walking through the door. The 3 boys quickly followed, catching the door before it even had time to fully swing back. The aroma of nacho cheese, hot chocolate mix, and leather mixed strongly in my nose.

"To Embry! Are you some sort of witch? What's wrong with him?" Quil stepped up from behind Sam, a few quivers running through his body. Yes, actually, I had been a witch, but that didn't really apply to this case did it? I hadn't been able to do any magic since my change. I sort of missed my powers, even if some of my spells hadn't always turned out quite right.

"Hardly." I recalled Sam calling the boy who'd stared at me that name. "Care to explain what you mean?" I looked at them expectantly. Yes, I respected them, but I didn't need the verbal attack tonight. I'd done nothing to mert it.

"He's acting so strange. It's like something's happened to his mind," Jacob stepped forward, talking in a thoughtful tone. I uncrossed my arms and listened carefully.

The threat of attack was fairly low, seeing as we were standing in a crowded ice arena, with dozens of humans milling around. They wouldn't try to fight here, unless it was absolutely necessary, which I hoped it wouldn't be. I was a bit thankful for the wolves' scent; it distracted from the agonizingly edible smell in the air.

Oh no. I blocked those sorts of thoughts out of my head quickly. The flames in my throat subsided after a few minutes. I couldn't dwell on those sorts of things. They could lead to accidents, accidents that would cause the Cullens to have to leave. I couldn't inconvenience them any more so than I already was.

"Do a drug test," I suggested wryly. It already seemed like the boys were on steroids, although Carlisle had explained that it was merely them reaching the end of their growth curve before the shifting gene was activating. They were stuck without aging like us, except in their case, they would eventually start to age again. It didn't seem very fair.

Jacob rolled his eyes and continued. "His mind's a mess. He's trying to focus, but he can't. He won't change because he doesn't want us in his head, but when he does, we can feel how conflicted he is. It's just so weird! It's almost as if he's-" He cut off his sentence abruptly, his eyes going wide. A shiver rippled through him and Sam put a hand on his shoulder, as if trying to calm him. I glanced at Sam's and Quil's face, seeing the gears turning in their heads.

"It couldn't be! That couldn't happen, could it? It would go against everything our pack is for," Jacob turned to Sam, his eyes still panicked. Something clicked their brains and I saw Quil's mouth drop open.

"Feel free to fill me in on what's happening, anytime…" I trailed off, not able to understand their rationale or surprise. I didn't know much at all about the Quileutes, just that they were a native tribe here, and that they transformed for the sole purpose of destroying us and protecting their people.

"We think…that Embry might've…possibly…_imprinted_." Sam seemed to struggle as he spat out his answer. He didn't seem to want to accept what he was saying. "Imprint"? What was that?

"Imprint?" I asked, still confused about the situation. Why was this my concern? I wasn't even sure who he was.

"It's what happens when one of us finds our other half. You just know that you're meant to be together. And, especially in the first stages, you can't keep your mind off the other person. It's a strong thing, and only can happen between you and your soul mate" Jacob explained slowly, as if he was still trying to piece together the puzzle.

I used to have something like that…I used to know what it felt like…

No, I would not allow my mind to wander back that far. I would _not_ allow my past to come back and pull me under. I'd come into this life through pain. It was filled with a burning, a hole that could not be filled. In my case, it was in my throat and my stone heart. I stopped dwelling and shook my head a bit to clear it.

I opened my mouth to speak, to ask how this related to me, but a scream from the inside of the ice rink caused me to snap my head in that direction…well, that and the smell of fresh blood. I could see, through the smudged glass that it was two humans, in a fight. Blood was dripping out of their wounds. The injuries were minor, shallow, but they could easily be opened deeper.

I immediately stopped my oxygen flow, trying to lessen the burning in my throat. The wolves had smelled it as well. They immediately tensed, stepping closer to me, prepared to spring.

"Give us _half_ of a good reason, bloodsucker, and make no mistake, we _will_ take you down." Sam growled at me.

I tried to focus on the vibrating figures in front of me. I steadied myself.

"We both know that there's one outcome of this situation that we really need to avoid. So _get out of my way._" I hissed at them, using up all of my oxygen and running out the door. I had to fight with myself in that split second, so hard. I wanted to change directions, so badly. I wanted to actually feel my vampire speed course through me. But no, I managed to keep my pace fast, but still human-like. The 3 boys quickly jerked away as I came in contact with their hot skin and I burst through the doors.

The layers of wood and metal did little good to distract from the scent, so I did not chance a breath. I was tempted to just run home, but instead hurried over to the far corner of the parking lot to my car. It took me the entire drive to rein in my reeling thoughts.

So maybe I should have listened to Edward…

I saw his smirk as soon as I opened the door. He'd heard my last thought and probably part of the night's events. Alice grabbed me in a hug a second later, pulling back and staring at my still dark eyes.

"I couldn't see anything! Those mutts ruined my vision and I saw you running and I thought something might've gone wrong and—"

I gave a grin to relieve her stress. She was relieved and annoyed at the same time.

"There was a fight in the ice rink," I admitted reluctantly. I thought back to my glimpse at them. I was fairly sure it had been Mike and Eric, from school, but I hadn't heard much of their argument, just seen Eric's bloody nose and zeroed in on the slice on Mike's leg, through his jeans.

"But I ran away before I could react any differently. I would have been gone if the wolves hadn't held me up. I didn't even understand what they were saying. It was something about one of their friends imprinting, but I don't understand why they were telling me. It was quite confusing actually," I told her, because I could feel her curiosity. I saw Jasper and Carlisle exchange a glance. I shrugged nonchalantly.

"So about hunting…" Edward hinted, still seated on the sofa, he'd switched news stations since I'd left. I glared at him and grimaced internally. I still did not hunting very much. Well, to put it bluntly it was feeding, but I shuddered even more at that. I suppose humanity has its drawbacks in this life.

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